Community Director and Fraternity Life Advisor

Job Description

Job Description

WHITMAN COLLEGE

Located in the historic community of Walla Walla, Whitman’s vibrant and beautiful tree-lined campus is home to an intellectually diverse, dynamic, welcoming and supportive community of some 500 staff and faculty serving approximately 1,500 students from the local region and across the globe. With exceptional students, accomplished faculty and staff, and a fiercely loyal and growing number of engaged alumni, Whitman College continues to build on its national reputation for academic excellence as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.  

Whitman College is cultivating a community built on inclusion and belonging. We recognize the value of those who can offer historically underrepresented perspectives and encourage applications from those whose background, knowledge, and insights from lived experience can add to the college’s working and learning environment. Whitman College is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer (EEO).

POSITION PURPOSE

The Community Director (CD) and Fraternity Life Advisor shares with other members of the Student Life staff the general responsibility of supporting the educational aims of the College by building and supporting strong communities across the campus. The CD serves as an educator and role model while assisting students in their efforts to make full use of the opportunities and resources available to them. This role oversees the supervision, administration, and community development for a number of residential facilities and leads broader programs and initiatives related to Residence Life and Housing. This position has a special focus on advising the fraternity system, as well as a separate focus on administering conduct and policy violation processes and procedures. In addition to overseeing the fraternity system, this position will be responsible for a number of junior-senior residential areas, including apartments and rental houses. This position reports to the Associate Director of Residence Life.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Fraternity Life Advising, Leadership, and Development (35%)

• Provide strategic vision and mentorship to fraternity student leaders through regular meetings and one-on-ones.
• Advise Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC), including providing structure and expectations for meetings and projects.
• Guide fraternities on key annual projects such as recruitment, retreats, trainings, awards, and philanthropy.
• Collaborate with the Sorority Life Advisor on sorority/fraternity joint meetings, trainings, and programming.
• Oversee financial processes and resource management for the fraternities, including budget support and review.
• Advise on risk management, policy enforcement, and compliance efforts within the fraternity system.
• With support from the Director of Residence Life and Housing, serve as a liaison to fraternity alumni advisors and fraternity national organizations.

Supervision (20%)

• Supervise a team of paraprofessional Community Assistants (CAs) and Fraternity House Managers.  
• Present and facilitate training and leadership development opportunities. 
• Provide ongoing team building and develop a sense of group support and learning for student staff.
• Participate in paraprofessional staff recruitment and hiring processes.

Community Development and Programming (15%)

• Develop strategic goals for learning and development within residential spaces. 
• Arrange and facilitate social and academic events and programs.
• Act as a resource for residents requesting program information.
• Encourage alcohol and drug education programs.
• Encourage residents to respect others’ rights and maintain a safe and secure community atmosphere. 
• Lead substantial projects and programming initiatives for all on-campus students.

Counseling and Referral (10%)

• Be generally available to residents and communicate effectively with students, staff, and faculty. 
• Be supportive of inclusive excellence best practices to best support community members. 
• Counsel students concerning personal college concerns and refer to other resources when appropriate.
• Respond to student wellbeing concerns, including those referred through the College’s CARE Team, and keep clear records in the College’s CARE network platform.
• Participate in a weekly on-call crisis rotation shared among 6 Community Director positions.

Administration (10%)

• Inform residents of College functions, resources, and beneficial off-campus agencies. 
• Attend Community Director team meetings and facilitate student staff meetings.
• Open and close residential spaces around college breaks. Collect and report information on hall maintenance problems.
• Maintain accurate and current hall records, including weekly logs, floor plans, key check-out and inventory, space scheduling, expenditure accounts, incident reports, damage reports, and room condition reports.
• Keep the Residence Life and Housing Office informed as to all room changes and change requests.
• Interpret and enforce College policy in residential spaces.
• Meet with students about student conduct violations when instructed to do so.
• Be responsive to communications including emails in a timely manner.
• Serve on campus committees as requested.
• Represent the College to parents and guests.

Conduct Administration (10%)

• Serve as a College conduct officer in conduct cases, hearings, and appeals, under the guidance of the Assistant Vice President for Student Life.
• Advise students through the conduct process, facilitate conduct hearings as requested, and meet with students for reflective and motivational conversations when policy is violated, as appropriate.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Must be able to explain and/or demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. Specifically,

• Ability to support and advance the College’s core goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and access.
• Ability to build community among residential undergraduate college students.
• Ability to stay organized, set attainable goals, and complete projects without reminders.
• Ability to facilitate team building, present training material, and speak to large groups. 
• Ability to be flexible and be comfortable with ambiguity.
• Ability to communicate clearly on difficult topics while being empathetic.
• Ability to manage email and text communications and respond in a timely manner.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team-focused educational environment and be ready to jump in and take on new projects as needed. 

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Experience presenting to groups and leading trainings for college students.
• Knowledge of Student Development Theory.
• Experience with diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, antiracism, and accessibility programming, theories, or analysis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree.
• 2+ years of post-college professional experience.
• Experience working with undergraduate residential college communities.
• Experience working in Student Affairs. 
• OR a combination of relevant education, training, and experience. 

Whitman College values diverse pathways to acquiring skills and knowledge and encourages applicants to demonstrate how their background aligns with the role.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A Master’s Degree in a related field.
• Experience working with college sororities and/or fraternities.
• Experience with college/university conduct processes.
• Knowledge and use of restorative justice practices.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and meet one of the following criteria: be at least 18 years old with 2 years of driving experience and complete a driver improvement course, OR be at least 19 with 3 years of experience and successfully pass a motor vehicle report (MVR) check.

Please note that while the description details both required and preferred qualifications, we want applicants to be aware that they do not need to have all of the preferred qualifications to be considered for this position. If you meet the minimum qualifications and have passion for the work, you are encouraged to apply.

ADDITIONAL PERKS, BENEFITS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• These are live-in positions and come with a 1-2 bedroom/1-2 bathroom residence hall apartment.
• Position includes a full meal plan (over $5,000 in meal money per year, with some limitations on retail goods).
• This position includes evening and weekend work and offers a flexible work schedule. Core work hours are 10am-4pm Monday through Friday.
• Includes the option to take one course per semester depending on space available.
• Opportunity to attend and submit proposals for professional conferences. 
• This position is eligible for all other full-time benefits afforded employees at Whitman College in accordance with the current benefits plan. 
• Community Director positions are tremendous opportunities for leadership development. They provide both a structured professional development environment while requiring independence, judgment, and the ability to adapt and learn quickly.

BENEFITS 

Whitman College offers a competitive benefits program that is designed to attract qualified candidates and retain talented employees. Benefit offerings and eligibility described reflect current offerings and may be subject to change in accordance with College policies and plan documents. Full-time employees enjoy the following benefits:

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurances.

Basic life, accidental death and dismemberment and long term disability insurances with the capability to elect additional voluntary coverage.

403(b) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan with a matching contribution after eligibility requirements are met.

Paid Time Off: 20 accrued vacation days, 12 accrued sick days, 13 paid holidays.

Tuition Remission

Employee tuition waiver for two Whitman courses per semester.

Employee Assistance Program

Relocation assistance for eligible employees. 

Learn more about benefits eligibility here. 

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR JOB CANDIDATES

Contact Human Resources regarding requests for disability accommodation in the employment application process.

APPLICATION REVIEW

Priority application review will begin September 28, 2026, and continue until the position is filled. 

START DATE

November 2026 - January 2027